Category Archives: Music

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv-0mmVnxPA[/youtube]Let the River Run is an old favorite. I also love the movie from whose soundtrack it is, Working Girl. The song gets me into an upbeat mood, so it’s ideal for phases with lots of work (but a weekend on the horizon).

A friend sent me this link (scroll to bottom of screen) of a video which contains the song played above. I fell in love with the music. I must have watched the video half a dozen times. The song expresses so completely the love you can feel for someone – a baby, a special needs child, a patient with Alzheimers – who might not always be able to show love back. The love is always there, though, and I thought the song and pictures captured that fact beautifully.

“Hauntingly beautiful” and “banjo music” are not phrases that normally go together in my mind, but for this song by the Great Lake Swimmers, they truly do. The music, the imagery, all of it lingers in the mind long after the last note dies. Enjoy!

It seems like the songs which get stuck in my head rank among the world’s most annoying. So, when something as hauntingly gorgeous as this rendition of Dance Me to the End of Love lodges itself in my brain, I just have to share. I’ve heard other versions of this song, but I think I’m liking The Civil Wars’ take on it the best. Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnCGJyeSYWo[/youtube]I love Omara Portuondo’s CD Dos Gardenias, from which this version of Chile lindo is taken. My favorite song on it is actually Gracias a la vida, but as I was unable to find a decent-sounding version on YouTube, and Chile lindo comes a close second, here it is!

I understand very little Spanish, so I don’t understand the text. But I love the music, the voice and the rendering of the song.

Here are the nominated songs of the year, several which have been featured before on the blog. Of course you know that I love Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger. And Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me is a definite ear worm but then again so is the anthem, We Are Young by Fun. Which is your favorite?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMYOUeknzMw[/youtube]Once December comes round, I take my Christmas CDs down from the shelves and delve in. One More Drifter in the Snow by Aimee Mann is a firm favorite, and I can listen to it for hours (preferably while baking cookies, but doing some other works is just fine as well). Calling on Mary is the last song on the CD, but there are many others on it that I really like.

Normally, I’m a rock n’ roll gal. Or pop. Peppy country music is a favorite too. But I also love classical music. And when I am especially stressed, I love the sound of rain. I love the music of a quiet piano or guitar mixed with it. I love the sound of the ocean mixed with music as well. In other words I find water and quiet music very soothing.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ0L7O_khbs[/youtube]I have very mixed feelings about Suzanne Vega. When I was at university, for six months I lived next door to this very nice girl named JoAnn, who loved listening to music. Really loved it. Did I mention the walls were thin? Her favorite albums were Suzanne Vega’s Solitude Standing and Tracy Chapman’s Tracy Chapman. And believe me, there are only so many times a day you want to listen to Tom’s Diner or Talking ’bout a Revolution. That said, I have since recovered from Vega overload and have come to quite like her. Luka, with its harrowing lyrics and lovely melody, is probably my favorite song by her.

Are there songs that you hated due to ever-exposure in the past, but that you like now?